July 8, 2006

The House that Jack Built: One of R. Caldecott’s Picture Books

In 1877 Edmund Evans, who was a colour printer and talented engraver, lost the services of Walter Crane as his children’s book illustrator and asked Caldecott to do illustrations for two books for Christmas. The results were The House that Jack Built and The Diverting History of John Gilpin, published in 1878. They were an immediate success; so much so that he produced two more each year until he died.

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THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

One of R. Caldecott’s Picture Books

FREDERICK WARNE & CO. Ltd.

1878

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

This is the House that Jack built.

This is the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Dog,That worried the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the Dog, That worried the Cat, That killed the Rat, That ate the Malt, That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Maiden all forlorn,That milked the Cow with the crumpled horn,That tossed the Dog,That worried the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Man all tattered and torn,That kissed the Maiden all forlorn,That milked the Cow with the crumpled horn,That tossed the Dog,That worried the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Priest, all shaven and shorn,That married the Man all tattered and torn,That kissed the Maiden all forlorn,

That milked the Cow with the crumpled horn,That tossed the Dog,That worried the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Cock that crowed in the mornThat waked the Priest all shaven and shorn,That married the Man all tattered and torn,That kissed the Maiden all forlorn,

That milked the Cow with the crumpled horn,That tossed the Dog,That worried the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

This is the Farmer who sowed the corn,That fed the Cock that crowed in the morn,That waked the Priest all shaven and shorn,That married the Man all tattered and torn,That kissed the Maiden all forlorn,That milked the Cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossed the Dog,That worried the Cat,That killed the Rat,That ate the Malt,That lay in the House that Jack built.

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I hope you will be happy to hear that there is at least one librarian gathering close a small group of kindergarteners each year and reading this very book–the idea being to introduce progressive narrative, repetition in poetry, and illustration, while advancing their vocabularies. Believe me, sowed, crumpled, shorn and forlorn are new words to them.

There’s a lot in this little book, like you say. And it doesn’t take long for important life stories to unfold into memories, to go from a new house, to a lived-in one. And all the ecology and cycles of life too.